TURKEY's Islamists said yesterday they could accept a far right party into their new coalition to help it win a confidence vote next week that is expected to be a close run race.
"We always wanted them in the coalition anyway," an Islamist state minister, Mr Abdullah Gul, said, referring to the Grand Unity Party (BBP) which has demanded a role in government in return for backing the coalition formed by the Prime Minister, Mr Necmettin Etakan.
Mr Gul said the government, an alliance with the pro western, conservative True Path Party (DYP) of Ms Tansu Ciller, might offer a ministry to the BBP, which has seven deputies.
The government has promised a moderate programme far removed from some of Mr Erbakan's earlier radical Islamist pledges.
Turkey is a mainly Muslim but secular state. Mr Erbakan, who became modern Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister last week, faces a tight confidence vote next Monday. His parliamentary strength was boosted this week when two deputies from rival parties defected to Ms Ciller's party.
The state run Anatolian news agency said a deputy from the rival conservative Motherland Party (ANAP), Mr Erkan Kemaloglu, had joined the DYP.
Earlier, the Hurriyet daily said Mr Kubilay Uygun, a deputy in the Democratic Left Party (DSP), joined the DYP on Wednesday.
The defections take the parliamentary strength of Mr Erbakan's government to 11 more than the 276 needed to guarantee winning next Monday's vote. However, a group of dissenters in the DYP have threatened not to support the government.
Ms Ciller confirmed yesterday that Turkey and Greece would suspend manoeuvres in the Aegean Sea this summer to avoid any clashes between the two feuding Nato partners.
The neighbouring countries came to the brink of open hostilities in January after a Turkish landing party took possession of a tiny Greek islet in the Aegean.
Nato's Secretary General, Mr Javier Solona, will officially announce the suspension of the manoeuvres within the next few days, Ms Ciller said. Her announcement came a day after the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr Theodoros Pangolos, said his government wanted to suspend manoeuvres in the crowded sea this summer to avoid any incident with Turkey.
"Our government believes that measures like this create an atmosphere conducive to solving the problems between Turkey and Greece", Ms Ciller said.
She confirmed Mr Solona had visited both countries to ask for the suspension and said Turkey was waiting for him to propose new security measures in the Aegean.
Both the Aegean and its airspace are especially busy during the summer, which is peak tourist season.
"Turkey does not want to stir up problems with Greece, it wants to solve them in the interest of both countries. From this point of view, Turkey appreciates the constructive initiative of the Nato secretary general", Ms Ciller said.
Reuters reports from Nicosia:
The right left coalition administration of the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state resigned yesterday after weeks of political infighting.
Mr Hakki Atun, prime minister in the government recognised only by Turkey, handed his resignation to Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, who asked him to stay on in a caretaker capacity.